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Prosecutor requests salary increases

Prefacing himself with saying he gives the same pitch every year, the Auglaize County prosecutor submitted a budget request for 2012 up 2 percent from this year.
Auglaize County Prosecutor Ed Pierce said the increase reflects a $500 increase to $3,000 in supplies and a 3 percent pay increase for employees, specifically a pay grade increase for the assistant prosecuting attorney.
In total, Pierce requested a budget of $487,463 for his office in 2012.
Pierce said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Augsberger received his first two pay grade increases but never got the third salary bump of approximately $4,000.
Pierce factored that increase as well as a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for his employees into the salary line item of $277,983 that he proposed to Auglaize County commissioners for 2012.
“I understand the economic times but at the same point, I want to get back to the budgeted amounts where I know what that number should be,” Pierce said. “I’m not asking that you agree with me. I’m asking that you understand where I’m at with numbers.”
Pierce also requested salary increases in the Victim Services Fund, adding up to $34,805 in the salary line item and $57,265 total for the budget, with benefits also proposed to increase 3 percent relative to salaries.
In the DETAC prosecutor’s budget, Pierce requested a salary increase of 1 percent to $27,139. Benefits also would be expected to increase at the same amount for a total budget of $36,976.
Pierce said commissioners decide how to handle cost of living adjustments but then he sets his salaries and he’d like to be able to bump his employees up to the levels where they should be at some point in time.
“It’s all guess work for me because I don’t know what you guys have in mind,” Pierce said.
He said he increased supplies because they ran a little short this year with what had been budgeted.